New 'Clean' Line of Campbell’s Soups Aims to Encourage Small, Healthy Daily Choices

In a bid to reposition itself as a producer of convenient natural products, Campbell Soup Company is set to launch ***Well Yes!***, a pivotal “clean” canned soup line*,* with a corresponding campaign that encourages consumers to make small, healthy daily choices rather than big, unrealistic resolutions. With the New Year only a week away, the launch of the new campaign is timely.

“We thought differently about the creation of this soup, from flavor combinations to our package design to the types of ingredients we sourced,” said Sophie Arsenlis, director of marketing, soup strategy at Campbell. “With the Well Yes! brand, we are saying ‘yes’ to real food and well-being by only using ingredients that consumers know and trust.”

Well Yes! was pioneered by a group of Campbell employees who were motivated by their own desires and preferences to create a soup that stood for something they could connect to and used ingredients they wanted more of.

“They love soup, of course, and they work here, but felt the category lacked a product specifically for them,” saidMark R. Alexander, president of Americas Simple Meals and Beverages for Campbell. “So they created a soup that they wanted to buy and one that would disrupt the soup aisle, but they didn’t do it alone. They invited a group of consumers who felt the same way. Together they co-created the brand.”

The Well Yes! brand is renouncing unrealistic resolutions and proclaiming 2017 as the year to say “yes” to small, positive moments each day. The company is featuring actress Busy Philipps in its #WellYesMoment campaign, which reframes the narrative around New Year’s resolutions and encourages saying “yes” to making small, positive changes all year long.

Coinciding with the product release in January, consumers will be encouraged to share a #WellYesMoment on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, and ads will air on TV during primetime programming and premiers.

What is, perhaps, most interesting about the new campaign is the far-reaching effects it could have on the wider food industry. The social media campaign places important emphasis on consumer purchasing power, creating linkages between their aspirations and the brand’s new direction and creates an open dialogue between the brand and its diverse audience. Being a well-established, trusted brand, Campbell is also uniquely positioned to push forward the ‘clean and natural’ agenda with its large marketing budget and global reach.

This pivot into healthier products isn’t new for Campbell’s. In the past few years, it has smartly kept its finger on the pulse of consumer demand and responded accordingly, venturing into the organics market with its acquisition of Bolthouse Farms and Plum Organics; and leading a ‘clean label’ movement by phasing out artificial ingredients and disclosing any GMOs in its products. And earlier this year, it launched a venture capital fund, Acre Venture Partners, to help finance innovative food startups such as Back to the Roots.

A ‘better food’ revolution has begun, and if brands want to stay competitive in a market where consumers command high-quality products and transparency, companies will need to take steps towards aligning their sourcing, recipes, marketing and more with ever-higher standards.